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StevenN
14-04-13, 14:54
Hello. Do these two drugs go together? Is there any reason to not take one of these if taking the other?
Many thanks.
mrsnobody
14-04-13, 20:57
i dont know, sorry
Mark13
14-04-13, 22:38
Your GP should advise, but there is a moderate risk of CNS and respiratory depression taking those two together (apparently).
hanshan
15-04-13, 11:23
They are both antidepressants (although of different action). Combining antidepressants is possible - usually the province of a psychiatrist or experienced GP with special interest in the area.
StevenN
15-04-13, 14:26
Thanks for the replies. I'll ask my GP to be safe. Btw, I've not known Pregabalin to be described as an antidepressant.
SarahH
15-04-13, 14:55
Thanks for the replies. I'll ask my GP to be safe. Btw, I've not known Pregabalin to be described as an antidepressant.

Pregabalin is an anti-anxiety drug. Works on the GABA receptors NOT and anti-depressant. Others on the forum will have greater knowledge. I am taking it for anxiety NOT depression!!
StevenN
15-04-13, 15:29
Pregabalin is an anti-anxiety drug. Works on the GABA receptors NOT and anti-depressant. Others on the forum will have greater knowledge. I am taking it for anxiety NOT depression!!

Thanks for clarifying Sarah, that's what I thought.
Mark13
15-04-13, 16:00
I got my info from an American site, where I think they err on the side of caution when it comes to drug combinations.

I have taken mirtazapine (an antidepressant) and pregabalin for 4 months with no ill effects.

However, I'm only on 15mg of mirt. I would expect that any risk from a drug combination would increase with dosage.
hanshan
16-04-13, 07:10
I'm sorry, I don't know what made me say pregabalin is classified as an antidepressant - I actually misread it and thought it was another drug (which is crazy, because I've been taking it myself for the past two years).

It's actually used for three rather different uses - as an anti-convulsive, to relieve certain kinds of nerve pain, and as an anxiolytic (anxiety relieving). It's licensed for the treatment of Generalised Anxiety in the UK and EU (but off-label elsewhere).

It can be combined with an antidepressant - I have been taking mine with mirtazapine for over two years (and many of the drugs labelled as anti-depressants are also used to treat anxiety).

Despite the name, its action is not related to GABA or GABA receptors, although it was initially formulated to act as a GABA precursor. Oddly, it was found to have the desired effect but a different mode of action than expected. It slows the release of excitatory neurotransmitters rather than blocking them at the other side of the synapse, but the overall effect is similar.